All-
I have already received offers of photos and material from Ken Martin, Bud Linroth and Steve Holding! Thanks to them for responding!
I should also mention that Rupert Gamlen has been tirelessly uncovering bits and pieces of information which I have much appreciated from what may be the prime hotbed of CB&Q research….New Zealand!!! Glen Haug has also contributed through his documentation of historic MP locations for long-gone and largely forgotten places on the East End which are part of his research into CB&Q Signals which provide a framework for the research.
Jim Singer was kind enough to provide copies from the BRHS Archives of a 1885 Chaining Notes which document the civil engineer’s location of stations and other features in the 1885-1890 era from Chicago to Aurora.
It appears to me that the material so far and to be uncovered is much too voluminous for a book (certainly not one that I would underwrite publication of as a print version would probably be North of over $100 a copy) and also far too extensive for publication and detailed as a Bulletin or series thereof.
The plan at this time is to assemble the material into book-like digital format that can be used by the BRHS and members for Bulletin and Zephyr articles.
To give an idea of the extent of the research there are in excess of 70 chapters ….there is at least a page of material for each town/depot/location of significance on the Aurora-Chicago main line and some supporting chapters such as relevant Michigan Central, Galena & Chicago Union, technology employed on the line, and some other topics of related interest. Some locations are material rich and run into the tens of pages.
“Publication” is likely to not happen until next year as there are many loose ends in the research and my concentration is still in the information gathering area. I do not have a good feel for how many people have any interest in the history of the Aurora Branch, Chicago & Aurora, and early days of the CB&Q but stitching together information from a very wide variety of sources (many far afield from the railroad industry) has been and is a source of great enjoyment for me. I hope to share some of the more interesting tidbits in future clinics and hopefully when digital copies of the “book” are ready some Bulletin, Zephyr and other BRHS articles will be of interest to the members.
Charlie Vlk
PS- I am aware of and have been in contact with another researcher working on a closely allied book on the Chicago-Aurora line of the CB&Q. His focus is on the socio-economic and real estate development of the Burlington in the Chicago region and we are sharing information as he is not focusing on the railroad physical plant.
From: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io> On Behalf Of Charlie Vlk
Sent: Tuesday, August 7, 2018 6:40 PM
To: CBQ@groups.io
Subject: [CBQ] Request for Aurora-Chicago material
All-
I have been working on documenting the history of the Aurora-Chicago line of the CB&Q dating from the inauguration of the Aurora Branch Railroad up to the BN merger. . I’ve uncovered a great deal of information about the Aurora-Chicago line (including some surprises!!) but because of the Chicago Fire, the CB&Q Headquarters Fire, and who knows why there seems to be a lack of photographic coverage of the earlier days of the CB&Q in the Chicago Area!!!
Does anyone have a master list of the numbers and dates of issue for all the Chicago and Aurora Division Employee Timetables that are known?
I am trying to establish the date of inauguration for various stations on the Aurora-Chicago main line and short of finding dates of construction comparing ETTs seems to be the best way of doing this.
Still having difficulty finding photos of depots at:
Indiana Avenue (on pre-track elevation St. Charles Air Line)
Chicago / 16th & Canal (1855-1910)
Blue Island Avenue
Western Avenue (pre-track elevation) both north and south of tracks
CC&IC Crossing
Douglas Park (pre-and post- track elevation)
Millard Avenue (pre- track elevation….the one in the Arcadia Lawndale book is Lawndale, MN on the GN!!)
Crawford Avenue
Western Indiana Station
Cicero (frame building)
Hawthorne
Morton Park
Clyde (have line drawing of original depot)
LaVergne / Cheviot (prior to 1890)
Harlem Avenue (prior to 1890)
Riverside Roundhouse and Turntable
Kennsington (pre-5th Avenue Stone building)
Stone Avenue (prior to 1902 present building)
Bryn Mawyr
Burlington Heights
Stough
Lacton
DuPage / Burlington Park
Eola / Lunds Depot
ANY previously unpublished photos pre-1900 on the Aurora-Chicago line of locomotives, trains, and ROW. There was a Chicago photographer named P.B. Greene who published a series of pre-Chicago fire stereopticon images….a few examples have surfaced in a series called “Views in Chicago and Vicinity” with Number 126 called “Gems at Riverside”. They show the original single track bridge over the Des Plaines River c.1870 and a couple of other views. There must be more such shots taken, likely with the photographer getting off the train, taking pictures, and getting back on the train to shoot the next town. What a find they would be, especially if a few included some equipment and stations!!!
Also seeking photos of the Track Elevation Project in Chicago. Compared to other railroads, the coverage for the CB&Q is slim. Only one very poor shot of the section west of Western Avenue has surfaced and a small number of Western Avenue-Halsted.
Please contact me off-list if you have any pictures or know of anyone that might have such early photos
Thank you,
Charlie Vlk